Basketball in Second Life: The VBA

The Virtual Basketball Association describes itself as " the premier basketball league in Second Life." With the Alpha Cold Area as it’s home base, it's teams compete against one another, and strive to spread the word about their sport to other residents on the Grid. There are about thirty VBA teams, which have the same names as real life ones, such as the Bulls and the Knicks.

I met marketing VP Gladiola Mistwallow in the audience of the Virtual Tonight talk show. She invited me to see their place for myself, and a few days later we met at Alpha Cold. She showed me the arena complex, which besides the basketball court included locker rooms, a players’ workout room with functioning equipment, another workout room for the cheerleader squads, offices for team management, a mall area over the court, a recruitment center, a league club for fans to socialize after-hours, and more. In normal times, the court is plain. For games, a scripted one is rezzed. Near the entrance are the logos for the various teams.

Gladiola also showed me the practice court, which was in a skybox. In playing the game, one has to wear an attachment provided from a dispenser. Basketballs appear from players clicking on the dispenser and choosing to ress a ball. As in real-life basketball, the player can move while dribbling the ball, or stand still while holding it. While the ball is being dribbled, it can be stolen. To shoot the ball into a hoop, usually one has to go into mouselook and hold down the left mouse button briefly. If the player is very close to the basket, he may attempt a slam dunk, which needs no mouselook. Contact with another player results in a foul. The fouled player may make two free throws. Free throws are worth a point each. A basket made from shooting the ball outside the three point line is worth three points. From inside two points.

Later on, Gladiola introduced me to their VP of Development Emerald Ishtari, whom was willing to answer some questions about the VBA and it’s plans.

Bixyl Shuftan: So how did the VBA come to be?

Emerald Ishtari: The idea first came from some football team owners. They felt the sport was becoming “saturated” in Second Life. They decided upon basketball as it was another popular sport.

Bixyl Shuftan: When was it officially started?

Emerald Ishtari: The public announcement was made on December 15th 2010

Bixyl Shuftan: How has the attendance been?

Emerald Ishtari: Attendance has been good. The first game was over 40 people, and we’ve enjoyed a good audience since. Exhibition and recruitment games can have as many as seventy. Sim capacity prevents us from having more, but we keep seeing many different faces every time. We consider this a sure sign of a growing fan base.

Bixyl Shuftan: How easy would you say the game is to play?

Emerald Ishtari: Like basketball in real life, takes some practice and dedication. It’s not easy to be a truly great player. Much depends on the individual. It adds to the roleplay side of things, though.

Bixyl Shuftan: About how long would you say it took most of the team players?

Emerald Ishtari: I would say most got the hang of it after about a week of practice.

Bixyl Shuftan: Gladiola and I talked a little about the teams. I understand some are available for purchase?

Emerald Ishtari: Yes, several teams, three of which are still under development. Besides the teams, there are the dancers.

Bixyl Shuftan: Dancers? Heh, I saw the cheerleaders whom performed at Virtual tonight. ... Do all teams have a cheerleading squad, or just some of them?

Emerald Ishtari: All the teams have a squad of cheerleaders. What you saw on Virtual tonight were cheerleaders from the various teams.

Bixyl Shuftan: I take it they’re quite popular among the guys in the audience?

Emerald Ishtari: (laughter) Yes they are.

Bixyl Shuftan: What are the plans for womens' teams?

Emerald Ishtari: A Womens’ Virtual Basketball Association? Some of the team owners have been asking about that. We will be discussing it further with them.

Bixyl Shuftan: About how many exhibition games will be played until the season start?

Emerald Ishtari: At least one per week. In May, we’ll be setting up a training camp. The official season will start shortly afterward.

Bixyl Shuftan: Have any individual stars emerged among the teams yet?

Emerald Ishtari: I’m not sure how to answer that without showing favoritism. Let’s say that a few players have been shining stars, plus others have shown to be up and coming. Each team has it’s favorite go-to man.

Bixyl Shuftan: Considering SL's glitches, have there been any games in which something went completely unexpected?

Emerald Ishtari: Second Life being what it is, we run into them sometimes. There was one situation in which it threw such a monkey wrench into gameplay, the game was declared a draw and rescheduled. In a sense, it’s like the weather in outdoor sports. You never know what’s going to happen.

Bixyl Shuftan: Of the training camp? Was this for people interested in becoming VBA players?

Emerald Ishtari: It’s for official players, for getting them ‘in gear.’ Those interested in joining up can apply at Alpha Cold.

Bixyl Shuftan: So those interested can practice at the sim, and answer an application?

Emerald Ishtari: Yes they can. They can go to the skybox and play at the court for a while to see how they do. Then they can head to the recruiting center for an application of the team of their choice. They then wait until the team answers them.

Bixyl Shuftan: Do you have any other future plans you'd like to share?

Emerald Ishtari: We’re going to have an event at the Recruiting Center at May 1st, from 2 PM to 4PM. There’ll be a party, with team owners and staff. It’s a chance for those interested to inquire about being on a team.

Bixyl Shuftan: Sounds good. Any final comments?

Emerald Ishtari: Just our motto: “Go hard or go home! This is more than just a game!”

Bixyl Shuftan: Heh, well, thank you for your time.

For more information on the VBA, including times for future games, check out their website:
http://virtualbballassoc.wordpress.com. To get to the arena, head to Alpha Cold (237, 124, 22).

Bixyl Shuftan

Steampunk Art Show

On April 17, 2011 a steampunk themed art show opened at Kafe Kruemelkram, Ataria (46, 204, 63). There’s enough metal and fire to please a steam aficionado, but the art extends beyond that genre. This exhibit should appeal to anyone who likes modern, experimental, or eclectic art. Well-known SL artists and designers, such as Bryn Oh, Sextan Shepherd, Glyph Graves, Artistide Despres and many others are featured here.

The exhibit is dedicated to the memory of Sabrinaa Nightfire, who died a month ago. She created the "Steaming Hot" Festival in 2010, a steampunk art event. The current art show aims to keep Sabrinaa’s vision alive. An exhibit of her metal flowers is on display, with links to her other SL artwork. A tribute and notecard created by Glyph Graves honors her memory, too.

A teleport exists to quickly transport you to the artist of your choice. But a more interesting way to view the exhibit is by walking. The exhibits are placed on metal platforms connected by metal bridges and walkways, which creates a work of art by itself.

I didn’t have a chance to view all of the exhibits, but the ones I saw were excellent. I started with “Nightmare” by Bryn Oh. This artist is a SL favorite, and this exhibit shows why that reputation is well-deserved. Like many of the exhibits, this one is interactive and takes advantage of SL’s features to create a memorable experience. The horse has many interesting steampunk elements, such as a wheel for a hoof, worked into its design. Be sure to sit on the horse to get the full impact of Byrn Oh’s imagination.

Next I viewed “Bio-Mecha”, which is an interesting piece by Sextan Shepherd. The reflection in the mirror gave a surprising and imaginative twist to the sculpt. All of Shepherd’s exhibits were interesting, but “Bio-Mecha” was my favorite.

“Clock Art Deco” and “Stellar Supernova Beta-3” were also created by Shepherd. Be sure to click on the clock, and be prepared to spend some time at “Stellar Supernova Beta-3”. There’s a lot to experience here. Sit in the explorer chair for a memorable trip to planets and the heavens. It took me a few attempts to get this to work, probably because I tend to be technology-challenged. But the colorful images are not to be missed, and I was glad I got it to work.

One of the largest exhibits was a steampunk structure by Daallinii Rae. I couldn’t find a name for this exhibit, but I really enjoyed it. The structure is on multi-levels, with ladders, ramps, and teleports to aid in its exploration. On the house level, you can sit in a basket and rotate around the exhibit. What a great view! There’s even a picnic table so you and your friends can pause to discuss the exhibit.

Next to this exhibit is the Jenney Mand'dson "1915" Scrambler 1.01 by Jenne Dibou. This is a fun steampunk motorcycle with metal workers oiling chains and getting it ready to rev. Be sure to sit on this exhibit, too.

Random music was the focus of a sound-based exhibit created by Artistide Despres. Make sure your sound is on when you are near the six trumpet horns that form this build.

There are more exhibits to be found at the Steampunk Art Show, but I had to save them for a return visit.

Grey Lupindo

Virtual Medical Doctor

Among the games at Madpea, one of the newest is the Virtual Medical Doctor game, sometimes called VMD for short. For gamers even slightly interested in medical fields and the human body, this game is a must. Even if you’re not, you may find yourself dropping by time to time. The plot: pilot a medical probe called a “Cheiron” which is miniaturized with you in it, and placed inside the patient where you work to cure the illness from within.

Whenever someone has a little pain in Hoshi, they come to the Tupol Hospital. You might not believe it, but there are a lot of patients in the hospital and we simply don't have enough doctors to care for each of them. That is why we need you - help us to get our patients home. We will equip you with the latest medical devices and Poseidon, who speaks 6 different languages, will help you to become a VMD.

Set at Tupol hospital, there are four levels in the building accessible by the elevator. One level is for new residents of Second Life, a guide on how to go about the Grid. Another shows examples of body organs. Another floor is one players will keep coming to: one with the background of the several missions and their patients. One also gets a HUD to help with playing the game.

To head to the game area, one needs to use the teleporter. Then head down the walkway to the scrub room for decontamination. After that, head to the one of three capsules, the game calls them “Cheirons,” programed for the location of your mission. The first two missions are in the brown-coded capsule straight ahead.

The first mission is simple, taking care of a 68 year old man with an upset stomach, "Chinese Restaurant Syndrome." The real purpose is for you to learn how to control the probe. The Cheiron’s computer will guide the user on how to proceed. It is possible to lose by depleting the battery through too many laser shots. The second mission: to get rid of parasites from a case of bad sushi. From there, the cases get more serious, Mission Three for example involving a heart condition.

For players with slower computers, one may have to wait a few moments for the control panel to rez enough to be able enough to read, for those moments you need to inject a drug (for the first two missions, it’s the one on the bottom-right). And once when playing, I didn’t appear back at the hospital right away. But there’s not much to complain about what I can only call a great Second Life game.

And oh yes, one can pick up a doctor's coat and set of medical scrubs while here.

To get to the Virtual Medical Doctor game, head to Tupol Island at (120, 131, 0).



Bixyl Shuftan

Dragon Avatar Review

So, wandering the Grid, I decided to go out and revisit some of my favorite dragon avatar makers. Dragons of all shapes and sizes are one of the less common avatars I see these days, so I thought that spotlighting a few of them, people would know that they're out there and available for purchase.

My first stop on my list was the Isle of Wyrms. It's a big place, very mountainous, with a giant cathedral where the dragons are sold.

The first thing I noticed about the Isle of Wyrm dragons is that they are ornate. Very reminiscent of Eastern dragons. They're also very static. The last time I had one of these, there were no or very few flexiprims. With all the dragons that are out there with flexis for the wings, this could be a point that hurts them just a little bit. They're very customizable, with dozens of scale textures/colors to choose from (per dragon), and they also have a Bast and an Anubis dragon which is something I haven't seen others try to recreate.

The second thing that I noticed is that the dragons seem to be in a "limited edition" or limited hatching (there were only 3 fire dragons left when I dropped by, for example). I am not a part of the Isle of Wyrms groups so I don't know if it's a RP reason behind the limited hatchings or not, so you will have to visit and see for yourself.

The third thing I noticed is that they are *pricey*. Adults cost 3500 L. That's the most expensive dragon I've seen on the grid so far. Is the price too high? I don't know, I don't build so have no "effort-to-cost" appreciation.

RATING: 2 Dragon Hoards out of 5. I'm biased, they're just not my style and I personally think they're too expensive for their appearance. Your milage may vary. If they weren't popular to begin with, however, they would have disappeared from the grid entirely due to lack of business. So clearly the Isle of Wyrms is doing something right.

Next Stop: Grendel's Children.

If you haven't heard of Grendel's, find it in Search. Now. They've been around a long time and at least to me, have become a synonym for quality content, variety of all kinds of avatars and inexpensive pricing.

There are two varieties of their dragons. Their originals ... *does a double take* Oh hey, they're 0 $L now. I remember when they were 500. Anyway, their originals are larger than a normal avatar and are very very well done, with flexi-tails, extra purchasable breath weapons (15 $L, last I checked) and excellent scale detail.

Their most recent versions are more sculpty, more flexi, more detailed, and less expensive than others, costing about 500 $L. They have them in Plains, Canyon, Forest and Ravine dragon varieties.

They have a lot of other types of dragons (eastern chinese dragon avatars spring to mind) and a few two-legged varieties as well.

RATING: 4 Hoards out of 5. Good variety and very low pricing make it the perfect spot for those of you who want dragons but are on a budget.

Next, it was off to Kinzart Kreations.

They have four varieties: Northern, Southern, Western and Eastern. They're not quads, they're anthropomorphic. So if you're looking for the four-legged kind, look elsewhere. Variety is large and prices are good (1000 to 1500), and the style is a bit unusual. The Northern Dragons look a little bit like a winged lion with horns (lack of better words, it's in a good way), the Eastern variety have a definite chinese feel to them, while the Southern ones look like something reminding me of Bahamut (and it would not surprise me if that was the inspiration).

The avatars come in decorative boxes, which is a nice touch. I had several eggs in my hoard on my home sim for the longest time, having bought almost every variety of two different varieties (at least until the next shiny thing came along).

RATING: 3.5 Hoards out of 5. The effort shows and it's a nice choice if you want an unusual style in your dragon.

After that, it was time for a quick trip to the Spider Productions vendor in the Northstar Mall.

They're a maker of anthro dragons as well (no quads here) but the textures are very very good and the animation of flight is one of the better ones I have seen on SL. They too have their dragon boxes as collectable decorative eggs, and on top of that, their dragons are rideable in the same way a normal four-legged dragon is, which is unusual. I haven't seen many anthropomorphic dragons that have a saddle option.

They are EXPENSIVE : 2800 $L for either gender (each sold separately). However, this time I will say the work shows and this is a reasonable price for such a dragon (I would have charged maybe 2000, but I'm not the creator so what do I know). The hands are posable, the wings and eyes are recolorable, and they advertise a "hud packed with tons of features but only one script" --- I have three of these dragons, and I can vouch that this is a non-laggy dragon. :)

RATING: 4 Hoards out of 5. They could use more scale colors (even though they have about a dozen), and they should probably put both genders in one box, in my opinion. Their female dragon is a bit "blocky" in the chest, but I guess that's what one gets when one is effectively having a scale-armor bra stuck to your chest (grin).

Final stop, the Seawolves.

Everyone by now has had to have seen one. You know, the sim-sized reptilians stomping about or flying through the skies (and when I say sim-big, I mean they are huge, approximately 30 meters long and ten high for their Ancient size). They have juvenile and adult varieties too, which are Big and then Really Big, but I think it is the Ancient ones that they are known for the most. The price is good for all the work, too... about 2400 $L.

These gigantic behemoths are not for the lesser of heart (or lesser of computers --- if you have a slow computer, the ancient ones are not for you). If you are looking for something to sit around in and people watch, though (and be seen from two sims away if you have draw distance maxxed), this is your dragon.

In my opinion, their hud can only be described as a work of art. You drop new textures into its inventory and can then use those to style almost any part of the dragon. It already comes with a lot of options; the fact that the hud is so easy to use after adding your own is what I enjoy the most.

There are two types of breath weapons (fire and ice); click and fire a ball, hold and breathe a stream. They also come with a biped version (standard avatar size) of the same dragon, which is just as easily customizable as the quad version.

RATING: 5 Hoards out of 5. The only downer is that if you don't have a high-powered computer and you get an Ancient, your computer will scream, cry and melt (and probably make other low powered computers cry, as well).

So there you have it, a look at just a few dragon makers of SL.

Xymbers Slade

Steam4: The Grid-wide Steampunk Hunt

The 4^th Steampunk hunt is going on now through March 31. The Hunt begins at Mieville Doyle Victorian Steampunk located at Mieville Doyle (84, 77, 23).

The Hunt started with a pre-hunt party on the night of February 28. I missed the party but came in world about two hours before the Hunt began. The excitement and anticipation in the Group chat was unmistakable as experienced hunters talked about the great prizes and fun of past Steampunk hunts. Well before midnight some hunters were roaming around Mieville, hoping it would open early. I was too sleepy to stay, but I returned the next day. And the day after that. In fact, I’ve been doing a little hunting almost every day since Steam4 started.

There are over 190 merchants participating in the grid-wide event and countless hunters. I chatted with one, resident Nagash Demina, at The Naughty Victorian. Like myself and many others, Nagash was hunting in Steampunk attire. Although I usually avoid creatures with eight legs, I found Nagash to be a friendly and experienced Steampunk Hunter. “It's getting larger and larger every year,” Nagash said about Steam4, “and that's a good thing. The few times I've gotten stuck, the group is always helpful.”

For those of you new to hunts, the Steam4 event is a good one to learn on. At the beginning site, join the group for free. Wear the necklace and arm band, which will help in finding the small gear that marks the prize. The first shop’s landmark will be given out there, too. When you find a prize, it will also include a landmark to the next shop. You can go through the shops in that order or you can find a list of all the participating shops at the webpage, http://steamthehunt.blogspot.com.

The list is also helpful if you can’t find the gear in a store. You can skip on to a different store and come back later to find the stubborn one. Alternatively, you can ask someone in the chat for a hint or a TP to their location and pick up the hunt from there. Circling back is a technique I like to use in Hunts.

The prizes are all high quality and exclusive to the Hunt. I’ve found great items, including a plane, a Steampunk Hat from Destiny Designs, and a Steampunk Victorian lamp from Alkahest that I placed on my dock. Their web page shows a preview of some of the prizes, which include jewelry, boots, an observatory, and furniture.

Grey Lupindo

5th Avenue Fashion at Wetherby’s

Every day I look forward to a visit to 5th Avenue. It is a delightful sim with numerous stores to visit . Of course my favorite place is Wetherby’s . The clothing stock in this store will keep you outfitted for an entire year! There are gowns , baby doll outfits , slim dresses in all lengths, short skirt outfits and business clothing. Most have shoes to match in several styles and jewelry created to go with each outfit. The prices are marvelous when you compare them to other designers and the owner, Mrs. Wetherby, is constantly searching for textures that will enrich the dresses.

I will tell you a secret. To each member of the Wetherby group she gives a free outfit every day ! She also places shoes and jewelry at a ridiculous price of about 20L to match. Not only that, contrary to most creators she loves us to pick up a second free outfit that day to pass along to someone as a gift. She dotes on her “lovelies, my dears“ as she calls us and is always ready to help with any problem. If she is not around there is usually a staff member who can assist. There are three floors of outfits. The third floor is a sale room where the prices are marked down from the already low original price. She did not forget the men and has some great shirts and ties and other outfits on the second floor where you will also find a lingerie section. If you know someone who needs it there is a maternity shop too. See why I love it?? Visit and join the group.

Before you leave take a walk around the sim to see the other shops with wonderful offerings and MM boards , and perhaps you will find a freebie here and there and many Midnight Mania boards to slap. To get there take this ride: http://slurl.com/secondlife/5th%20Avenue/124/201/23

Gemma Cleanslate

Fear Lurks Redzone Menace

Once upon a time, a man invented a Toilet HUD. Flush! Gulp! LOL And invented the so-called "EVIL" - "DIABOLICAL" and EXTREMELY OVER-RATED SL security device RedZone.

How did this man succeed in pissing off most everyone in Second Life?... his RedZone customers? ROTF LMAO... privacy activists? Linden Labs? and even ordinary SL citizens?

Here's how: RedZone (RZ) is a crappy product... overpriced... and WAY OVER-SOLD.... RZ pretends to be a revolutionary SL land security system, that claims to detect so-called Alternative Avatars (Alts).

It doesn't really. It's a kluge. By deliberately invading people's privacy, RedZone supposedly collects Internet addresses from SL viewers via music and media connections. But due to network address translation, that Internet address could be shared by a million ISP customers! DUH! Not Alts dummy... same ISP!!! Hello AOL! You got mail! lol

Not only that, Toilet HUD genius pulled his marketing right out of Saddam Hussein's playbook... claiming to be dangerous.... wildly fabricating sales figures... pretending to have sold over 20,000 RZs... 6000 in fact on a day when nobody shopped at his store! Except a happy camper on Deluxe Toilet (comes with free HUD) lol... See http://no2redzone.wordpress.com/

And we are led to believe that Toilet HUD guy has collected 5 million Internet addresses! OMG! I didn't know AOL had that many! lol

We all owe a debt of gratitude to Scylla Rhiadra for her thoroughly researched exposes on RedZone.

To protect ourselves, disable your SL media and music streams (Ctrl P Audio&Video tab), and wear this HUD called GreenZone. Buy for free. See "How to Play SL Music Outside SL" below.

In Picture 2, you see GreenZone doing it's job: ALARM! Means RZ haunts this dreadful place. I got RZ alarms at Bad Girls, RAWR store, and the RP sim Radiant Gardens. Places we should all avoid like the plague. I can imagine if your SL business is an a**hole magnet, and your customers are SL a**holes, you might feel a need for a hoax like RZ. You deserve each other! Enjoy! lol

I went to two dozen popular places in SL, music clubs, stores, lots of places... Guess what? No RedZone!!! Any place that uses RZ sucks! Hands down! Boycott their businesses! Join the SL group Green Zone Users for more info.

BUT DUDE! RZ is a bummer! What you really need is THRONE! YEAH! Picture 3 shows Lord Ivan the Terrible THRONE! YEAH! It's like Toilet HUD Revenge! You ride on the backs of Philip Linden slaves and go round vaporizing and ejecting mere mortals! Bwuwahahahah!

Throne and other disgusting inventions of an infantile mind... Ring of Burning Death, Very Paranoid Bug Detector, and our favorite "As Seen On TV" product, the Deluxe Toilet HUD (Picture 1). Lure in unsuspecting SL campers with offers of money... then make rude noises and orbit their butts! Dude! We could have fun ALL day long! NOT!

This article is satire. Orbiting and ejecting are extremely violent acts. Fine for video games if you please. But SL is not a game. Bada bing. Read: SecondLife is Not a Game!»

Also, help fight RedZone and other privacy invading products by voting for this JIRA: https://jira.secondlife.com/browse/VWR-24746?

HOW TO PLAY SL MUSIC OUTSIDE SL

LISTEN on iTUNES, REAL-PLAYER, Windows-Media-Player, or WINAMP - SL music programs are based upon Internet streams...

In Viewer 2, (a) Ctrl-Alt-D to open Advanced Menu, (b) If you are in Viewer 2.4 or later... Advanced > Show Debug Options, then in the box type adminmenu, set the radio button to True and OK (c) Advanced > Show Develop Menu and (d) Develop > Show Admin Menu. Then do World > Place Profile > About Land... Select-Copy the music URL off the Sound Tab... and paste it into your favorite media player (outside SL on your PC).

In Viewer 1 (or Phoenix & 3rd Party Viewers), click on the Region Name in the menubar (top of client)... Media tab... sometimes you will see Music URL there... IF NOT, Ctrl-Alt-D to open Advanced/Admin menus, then Advanced Menu > View Admin Options (or Ctrl Alt V), now click on the region name (top menu bar) then go to Audio (or old Media) Tab. Select and copy the "Music URL".

Paste the Music URL into you PC media player. Shortcut Ctrl U for iTunes and Real Player (CMD U on Mac)... then click in the text box and Ctrl V to paste (CMD V on Mac).

P.S. This video is impossibly funny sendup of RedZone... Ummm LOTS OF F WORDS... Caution! If you want a great laugh you have to watch it! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GqW0A0PLhQ0

(Originally posted on CNN)

Any1 Gnoid